


The Storm

by brightlikeloulou



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Zombie Apocalypse, Domestic Violence (not between Rick and Daryl), Fluff and Angst, Getting Back Together, M/M, No Carl or Judith in this fic, Post-Break Up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-10-06 16:23:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17348540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightlikeloulou/pseuds/brightlikeloulou
Summary: Three years after their break up, Daryl Dixon showed up at his front door again, soaking wet from the rain, with blood pouring down his face and a baby's car seat in one hand.





	The Storm

The thunder cracked loudly outside the house, flashes of lightning casting shadows against the walls, and the heavy rain falling rhythmically against the roof.

It was a little after one am, and the storm had already been raging on since six o'clock, it was easily one of the worst storms their town had ever seen, especially in the past five years or so.

Rick's power had gone out around ten and was yet to come back on, so he was relying on the candles that he had lit, and the torch from his phone to see what he was doing.

The house had an open plan when it came to the kitchen, dining, and lounge area, and the mixed scents of the candles filled the room. It had been overwhelming when Rick first lit them, but he had gotten used to them after a couple of hours.

Some may have found it romantic really, the house cast in the dim yellow glow of the candles, the fireplace roaring and the raging storm outside, but Rick had felt romance in a long time. Not since the blue-eyed hunter had left the house that was once theirs, with his bags in hand and an explosion of emotions coursing through him. Shattering both his own and Rick's heart and he pushed the front door closed behind him, and Rick fell to the ground a sobbing mess.

Merle was getting out of prison for the first time in ten years and needed a place to stay. Daryl, without Rick's permission, had offered up their guest bedroom. That particular argument ended with Daryl agreeing to Merle not staying in the house, but that he would be paying for the man's hotel accommodation, with hard earned money that they had been saving up to go on a holiday.

Rick had been furious; he didn't understand why Daryl continued to do so much for Merle when he got nothing in return. Merle was bad news in general, a long record of criminal history, and with Rick being the town's Sherriff, it didn't sit well with him. He knew that Merle was likely to return to his past behavior and that he could possibly convince Daryl to go down with him. He knew that the consequences of him arresting Merle if that was what it came to, would be catastrophic for his relationship with Daryl.

That was where their problems started.

Rick started working late to get away from the constant fighting that happened whenever he was home. Daryl started up a second bank account, putting part of the money he made at the mechanic's that he used to manage into it, and then transferring it to Merle whenever he 'needed' it. Though Rick was glad the man was at least using his own money and not his, it still angered him to no end that Daryl was wasting his hard earned cash on his dumbass brother that didn't deserve him.

The both of them spent a lot more time at bars, but never together. Rick went out with his buddies from work, tried to pretend that nothing was wrong when they asked why Daryl didn't join them. Daryl went out with Merle and some of their other friends.

One time, Rick came home from work to find that Daryl, Merle, and others were all hanging out in the backyard in camper chairs. They all had a beer of some sort in hand and were playing rounds of cards. Merle had hollered at him to join them, and he did because he didn't know who half of the men were, and he wanted to keep an eye of Daryl. One of the men, John, opening hit on Daryl the entire time, and while Daryl didn't encourage it, he never asked the man to stop.

Rick had ended up punching John when he made a crude remark about if Rick could give it to Daryl like he used to, and after they had been pulled apart and Rick demanded everyone to leave, Daryl admitted that he and John used to be a thing.

Rick wasn't mad that Daryl was still friends with one of his exes because he trusted Daryl, but it was the way the man still spoke to Daryl and how he acted like he had every right to, that made him mad, and that Daryl didn't seem to give two shits.

Daryl came home drunk almost every night, slurring his words and knocking things over, vomiting into the toilet and being hungover for work the next morning.

They were both always on edge, exhausted, irritated, sad. It made them lash out easily, screaming matches and fight occurring almost every day over everything and nothing. They stopped sharing a bed, Daryl sleeping alone in the spare bedroom instead of snuggled up against Rick's body how he used to.

They came to an end four years after they started dating, and five months after Merle was released from prison. During one fight, Rick had screamed at Daryl if he even loved him anymore, and when he had promised that he did, Rick had said that he may as well shouldn't because it didn't feel like he did.

That, along with all of the problems they had had over those months, is what brought them to the mutual decision to end their relationship because it clearly wasn't working for them anymore.

There was something about Daryl that made it impossible for Rick to fall out of love with him. Daryl had given so much of himself to Rick before things went wrong, from his body to his heart. They used to be perfect, from how they kissed each other awake in the morning, how Rick helped Daryl get through the PTSD from his child abuse, that all they ever used to need was each other.

After all of Daryl's things were removed from the house, and they got their bank account, along with all of their other joint accounts sorted, Rick didn't hear from Daryl again.

Once Daryl had left the house, Rick did his best to forget about him, but he just couldn't. It didn't matter that he pulled down every photo that Daryl was in and put them up in storage in the attic, or that he deleted his number and deleted all pictures of him off of his phone. He stopped going to their favorite restaurants and bars, and he kept his face shaved smooth because Daryl used to love him with a bit of a beard.

No matter what he tried, he never forgot about him; he never stopped loving Daryl Dixon.

The storm continued to rage on outside the house as Rick sipped at his beer and went through the files of the case he was currently working on, having to squint in the dim light to be able to see what he was reading.

He almost jumped out of his skin when a loud thump against the front door filled his ears of the sound of the storm. It became clear after several seconds that someone was knocking on the door, knocking hard and repeatedly, desperately.

Rick wasn't expecting anyone, so he furrowed his brows and stood up from where he was sat on the couch. He wasn't stupid enough to go out and open the door for a stranger unarmed, so he grabbed his gun from the coffee table and tucked it into the back of his sweatpants. He also knew that it wouldn't be hard to get into a car accident in the storm and that someone might need his help.

After grabbing his phone for a torch, he began making his way to the front door. He looked through the peephole, the person still knocking, he could see the outline of a man stood on his porch, the headlines to their car parked in his drive illuminating the area somewhat.

Rick sighed and reached for the handle of the heavy wooden door, unlocked it, and then pulled it open.

The light from inside of the house, along with his torch, allowed Rick to see who was at his home in the early hours of the morning, in the middle of a raging storm.

Rick's lips parted in surprise as he took in the sight of what stood in front of him.

Daryl Dixon, the man he hadn't seen in three years, the man who was quite obviously the love of his life, was stood on the porch in front of him. He was soaking wet from the heavy rain. He had blood pouring down the left side of his face. Looking down, Rick found that the man held a baby car seat in one hand.

He felt his stomach leap into his throat, and almost violent butterflies began swirling in his stomach as he looked at the car seat. It had a white blanket pulled tight over it, presumably to protect what was inside of it from the rain.

Rick finally looked up at Daryl's face again, concern filling him at the sight of the blood again. He looked into the man's eyes, and Daryl stared right back at him for a few moments before he dropped his head to look down at the wooden porch below him.

"I'm sorry just to show up," Daryl said breathily, "But I don't have anywhere else to go, Rick,"

He spoke so quietly that Rick barely heard him over the rain. Daryl looked up again after a few seconds, his expression shy and nervous.

After wallowing in his shock for a few more moments, Rick finally snapped out of it and reached for Daryl's shoulder to pull him out of the cold storm, and into the warmth of his house.

Rick pushed the door closed and then turned to face Daryl again.

He was dripping a puddle onto the floor and immediately looked guilty about it as his cheeks flushed and he awkwardly shifted on his feet.

Rick was lost for words, rotating between looking at Daryl's face, the blood, the car seat. He felt as if he was dreaming, Daryl had moved back to the city after the break-up, three hours away, he shouldn't be at his house.

"You okay?" Daryl asked nervously, adjusting his hold on the car seat a little.

Rick blinked a couple of times at him, and then nodded and took a deep breath, "Yeah, I'm okay," He replied, swallowing the lump in his throat, "I'm just in shock,"

Daryl nodded understandingly, "I'm sorry, I can explain," He said softly, looking at Daryl through his bangs, bangs that Rick used to love tucking behind his ears, "I just... could I stay here for a couple of days? If that's not asking too much of you," he asked, his voice full of nerves as if he expected Rick to scream no at him.

Which Rick, of course, wouldn't. Three years later, he'd still welcome Daryl into his home with open arms. Rick made a promise to the man a long time ago that he'd always be there for him, and he intended to keep it.

"Of course," He said, meeting Daryl's eyes and smiling softly, "Stay as long as you need,"

"Thank you," Daryl said, seeming incredibly relieved as he smiled back shyly at him, "I needed somewhere safe for this little one," he said, lifting the car seat a little, "Was hoping I could count on you, despite everything,"

Rick nodded and looked down at the car seat again. Daryl had just confirmed that there was definitely a baby in there, and it made Rick unbelievably curious.

"Yeah, right," Rick said, nodding awkwardly and pushing his hands into the pockets of his sweats. He suddenly remembered the blood again, "Your face," He said quietly and stepped a little closer to try and get a better look, and he noticed Daryl swallow thickly.

Daryl sighed, "Yeah, I'll explain everything, but I need to get some stuff out of the car," he explained.

Rick nodded, "Okay, I'll help,"

Daryl shook his head and placed the car seat down carefully by the nearby dresser, "I'm already wet, you don't need to be, It's only a bag and a couple of suitcases to get us through the night, can get the other stuff after the storm,"

"If you're sure?" Rick said, nervously glancing out the window at the raging storm, he wasn't exactly sure about Daryl going back out in it.

Daryl nodded, "Yeah it's okay, I'll only be a few minutes,"

And with that, Daryl took one last glance at the car seat and then stepped back out onto the porch and into the storm, closing the door behind him.

Rick closed his eyes, and took several deep breaths, eventually leaning his arms against the door and bending his head down to face the floor as he tried to even out his breathing. He didn't understand what was happening. He didn't know how he was supposed to react to his ex-boyfriend showing up again after three years, with a baby and bleeding.

He eventually got himself together, and stepped over to the car seat and picked it up carefully; there was no noise coming from inside of it, so he assumed the baby was asleep.

He carried the car seat over to the living area and placed it down by the coffee table before he made his way into the kitchen and started to search for his first-aid kit which he knew was in one of the cabinets.

He found it just as Daryl entered the house again, and Rick looked up at him as his fingers found purchase around the white bag with the red cross on it.

Daryl was even wetter than the first time he entered the house. He had a large pack on his bag, and then two suitcases in each hand. He noticed the baby by the coffee table and placed the backpack down by it before he looked at Rick expectantly, his cheeks flushed from the cold.

"Spare room," Rick said, holding out his phone for the man to use as a torch as he passed him.

Daryl nodded and thanked him as he took the phone as he made his way down the hallway to the spare bedroom. Rick didn't need to tell him where to go; the house had been Daryl's home too.

Rick watched him go, and made his way over to the large couch and began searching through the first aid kit as best he could in the dim candlelight.

Rick emerged from the bedroom a few minutes later, he had changed into dry clothes and was in a pair of black sweats and a blue sweater. He looked soft and comfortable, and it made Rick's stomach stir.

Daryl leaned down at the car seat and pulled the blanket back to check on the baby.

"He's still asleep," Daryl announced and stood straight again, "No idea how, I couldn't sleep through this storm,"

"Come sit up here; I need to look at your head," Rick told him, and Daryl promptly did as he said and sat down on the leather couch in front of him, crossing his legs and resting his hands in his lap.

"Thank you," Daryl said quietly as Rick held up the torch to Daryl's head, and pushed his hair back from the wound.

It was a small cut and didn't look too serious, "I don't think it will need stitches," Rick said, "Here hold this," He said and directed Daryl's hand to hold the phone so that Rick could see the wound.

"How long's your power been out?" Daryl asked, probably just to fill what could have been an uncomfortable silence.

"Since ten," Rick said as he cleaned the wound of Daryl's head, feeling guilty every time he winced, "It'll be back on when the storm clears, which according to my weather app, won't be too long,"

Daryl nodded in understanding, "Okay,"

"So," Rick began, looking into Daryl's eyes for a few moments, "I want you to tell me what happened,"

Daryl sighed heavily, "Boyfriend did it. Well, ex-boyfriend," He said, looking down at his lap, not wanting to meet Rick's eyes.

That sent a stab to Rick's gut because sure Rick had slept with people since his and Daryl's break up, but he was never able to date.

"He hit you?" Rick asked.

Daryl sighed and nodded, "We hadn't been together long, 'bout six months. I was already in the process of adopting the bub when we met, and he didn't seem to care much that I was going to have a kid. It was all fine at first, he treated me good, but then the bub came along, and he started to get... jealous almost?" Daryl began to explain, "So, I had enough, and I broke up with him. That was when he started getting violent, he came round to my apartment once, and tried to convince me to get back with him, and when I said no he hit me. After that, he started stalking me, threatening calls, the lot. I had him to think about," Daryl said, motioning to the car seat again, "So I decided to pack up my shit, and move back here. He came over when I was in the middle of packing all my stuff into the car, had all the boxes down by the car, just needed to get everything in. He threw a beer bottle at me, that's what the cut's from,"

Rick could feel anger bubbling in his stomach for the man that had attacked Daryl, "How'd you get away?" He asked softly as he finished up Daryl's cut.

"Fought back, I knocked him out, packed up the rest of my stuff into the car as quick as I could, and then came here," Daryl replied, shifting a little awkwardly. It made Rick said, Daryl used to have no trouble telling him things, but he guessed that their three years apart had changed that, "I was gonna go to a hotel, but the weather got too bad that I had to stop driving, you were closest,"

Rick shook his head and began packing the first aid supplies away, "It's okay," He said softly, meeting Daryl's eyes, "I'm glad you're here," he said quietly, hoping that he wasn't pushing it.

Daryl's lips turned in a small smile, "I thought it would be hard to come back, but it feels good, right almost," He said, and Rick could make out a blush on his cheeks.

"Yeah," He replied quietly, and he was overwhelmed with the desire to pull Daryl into his arms, and tell him that he could treat him right again, that he could love Daryl properly.

It was then that Daryl's son chose to begin crying. Soft little wails from beneath the blanket and Daryl immediately stood up from the couch and made his way to the car seat.

Rick watched as his ex leaned down and pulled the blanket of the car seat, unstrapped the baby, then picked him up and cradled him in his arms. Arms that Rick had always found gorgeous.

The baby was small Rick noticed, younger than what Rick thought he was, "What's his name?" Rick asked as Daryl sat himself down on the floor, and held the baby in one arm while he used the other to open his backpack and pull out a blanket and diaper.

"Archie," Daryl replied as he laid the baby down on the blanket and cooed at him as he was still crying. Rick found it very endearing to see Daryl with a baby; he knew that Daryl would be an incredible father.

Rick shifted further down the couch so that he could get a better look at the baby, "How old is he?" He asked, resting his jaw on his hand.

"Almost two months, growing like a damn weed," Daryl said as he removed his son's onesie and diaper, and began placing a clean one on him.

Rick hummed and watched as Daryl finished dressing his son, and he then stood back up, Archie in his arms and made his way back over to the couch.

"I'm happy for you," Rick said as he watched Daryl settle, Archie had stopped crying and was still in his father's arms, so Rick guessed the baby was just unhappy due to his dirty diaper, "You always wanted a kid,"

Daryl smiled and leaned down to kiss the baby's head, "Yeah, and now I have him, and he's perfect," he whispered, and then met Rick's eyes, "Do you want to hold him?" He then asked, looking hopeful.

Rick swallowed thickly, and after a few moments nodded, and Daryl began transferring Archie into his arms. Rick held the baby carefully and rocked him slightly. Archie had tan skin and dark black hair on the top of his head, with deep brown eyes.

He looked up at Daryl and found the man smiling sweetly at him, "He's gorgeous, Daryl," Rick said, stroking one of his fingers over the little one's cheek.

Daryl chuckled, "Well, that's not on me, I had nothing to with making him," He replied, and moved closer so that he stroke one of his fingers over his son's hair.

Rick chuckled too and watched fondly as the baby in his arms blinked up at him, and his tiny mouth spread wide in a yawn.

He couldn't help the part of his mind that wondered if he and Daryl had never broken up, if the two of them would have ended up with Archie, with both of their names on the adoption papers.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are loved! Xx
> 
> Tumblr - iiloulouii


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